Yoshizo Shimano, chairman of Shimano and Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the UCI, inked the new contract in Beijing, China, on Friday.

No details have been released on the size or nature of the sponsorship deal.

The contract confirms Shimano as the tech support company for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, a role the company played in Athens. Shimano-sponsored athletes rode with Shimano shoes bedecked in national flags.

Shimano will continue to be the UCI's official supplier of technical and mechanical services at UCI-authorised world championships and cycling competitions, inclujding road, MTB, track and cyclo-cross.